In 'make do and mend', unit 1 of GCSE photography I have been able to develop and refine my skills as a photographer, experimenting with a range of techniques and processes from photoshop to collages using a variety of materials from both at home and at school. When we first began 'make do and mend' I was intrigued but did not think about the full extent of this theme or its possibilities. As I became more familiar with the theme over time, I began to understand how many options and ideas could be created inspired by this idea. I have really enjoyed being able to watch my work and understanding develop during this time. Make do and mend was first introduced to me at the beginning of year 10 when we had came back to school after missing so much due to COVID 19. Photography was still so new to me as much of my work from year 9 was done completely independently and therefore I didn't feel very confident in myself or my ability.
The first artist of make do and mend who I really felt a connection to was Hannah Hoch who I discovered with the help of my teacher. As soon as I saw her work I was completely mesmerized, I had never seen work like hers before and she really inspired me to be as creative as possible and to follow my intuition. This was when I first began to truly understand the threshold concepts and the idea that 'photographs have their own visual language and grammar'-threshold 8. I really felt like her work spoke to me. I have learned that photography is not about just taking photographs but also the meaning behind them and the story they tell. After viewing her work I decided to create a response inspired by her. I enjoyed experimenting with different photographs from magazines and how I could manipulate them to create my own work. Once I had done this I reviewed my work and compared it to Hoch's in order to reflect on what I had made. Although I was happy with it I decided to continue editing and developing it because I knew I could improve it further. Throughout make do and mend I feel as though I have become more confident within myself, not only in my work at school but also on my personal life outside of school. I create a pinterest board to display my photos and this has really allowed me to see my progression. During make do and mend I also used photoshop which I have never properly explored until this point. Experimenting with all these different tools helped developed my skills in technology and was such a contrast to my usual work.
As my journey of make do and mend continued I felt as though my appreciation for it grew. I could think in detail about the idea of taking something already created and making it my own and this was so fascinating for me as it wasn't something I had even considered doing before. I researched many artists such as Matt Lipps and Amanda Durepos and I really enjoyed learning about the processes and techniques they used in order to present their outcomes. However my main inspiration in the whole of this theme was Sharon Walters. Her work immediately caught my eye and the more I learnt about her the more impressed I was. I think this really shows in my website and my responses to her work. I loved being able to create work inspired by someone who I really looked up to but with elements of my own ideas. I think the way I went about creating a response to Sharon Walters was so personal to me and just made me enjoy this project that much more. Sharon Walters showed me that 'photographs are not fixed in meaning, context is everything'- Threshold 7.
For my final outcome I created a piece that was very much inspired by threshold 7, the meaning behind it was very personal to me and I think others would also be affected by it, especially women. If I had had more time I would have continued to develop my responses and researched more artists with this style. Towards the end of make do and mend I fully accepted all my ideas as a photographer, good and bad, and could successfully evaluate, create and refine work through experimentation and research. I hope viewers understand the meaning behind each of my outcomes and explore their ideas and opinions based on my work .
Overall I am delighted with the outcome of my work. Despite many interruptions due to COVID 19 regulations and self isolation, I feel that make do and mend allowed me to explore ideas of my own and review other artists' work that I could form my own opinions on.